The Mind-Dump: A Blogging Habit

The Mind-Dump: A Blogging Habit

So I, as I’m sure many other bloggers do, have a habit.

A habit that leaves me with 20 folded post-its in the bottom of my laptop bag at the end of the week. A habit that involves numerous unfinished post drafts and pages scribbled on in dozens of journals. I call those post-it’s and drafts and pages my mind-dumps, and they are my friends.

This Mind-Dump habit is wonderful. It allows me to jot down all of the “important” thoughts in my head at any given time.

This Mind-Dump habit is awful. It allows me to write, and then forget about, hundreds of thoughts and ideas a week.

Every once in a while I’ll take the plunge into the Notes I have saved on my phone, and genuinely have no idea where I was or what I was doing when I wrote it down. Most of the time, they don’t even make sense.

But that’s a creative mind, I guess. Fragments of gold being jostled in pants pockets, most of them slipping out and bouncing down the storm drain when you finally stop to take a rest.

Right now, I’m cozied up in my room with a cuppa and my favorite blanket, watching the sky, waiting for the impending thunderstorm/tornado. It’s that kind of weather that makes you want to snuggle by a fire, even in the middle of summer. The kind of weather that makes you want to run outside in your T-shirt and no shoes, just to feel each raindrop land on your skin. It’s that weather that makes you introspective, and leads to a mind-dump.

I love weather like this because it makes me feel safe. Weird, I know, but it does. It’s an excuse to retreat back to my introverted ways, and throw myself into my passions instead of another episode of Blacklist.

So, welcome to my thunderstorm-induced mind-dump.

I feel like when I write posts like this I feel so angsty. And broody. How does one be funny and light and comical when talking about their inner thoughts? Is it possible?

Regardless, I’m gonna roll with it today. Authenticity, and all that.

Unfolded Post-it #1:

Are my to-do lists making me more stressed? Probably

I think this one was due to an article I read about to-do lists causing psychological damage. You know how you have to let your dog/cat actually “get” the laser pointer every once in a while, cause if you don’t, it teaches them they can’t accomplish anything? It really screws with them. Someone had the same theory about to-do lists. I’m one of those people who loads up my list with too-many things to do each day, with half of them carried over to endless tomorrows. So far, I’m unaware of any psychological damage, so I’m gonna keep on keepin’ on.

Unfolded Post-it #2:

Who decided weekends are Saturday & Sunday?

Valid question, Lane.

Unfolded Post-it #3:

Blog Post Idea: When my friend broke down and told me she’s not ready to be an adult yet, she doesn’t know how. Parents babied her, never needed to make decisions for herself.

While I hate the term “Adulting” (it’s too millennial/tacky for me), its relevant here. I think your early 20’s are one of the most confusing times. Nobody teaches you what taxes really are, or what health insurance you have & what it covers. You just have to figure it all out. And for someone that’s been trained to always (and only) listen to her parent’s guidance, it’s gotta be especially difficult. I’m thankful for my parents, who enforced a sense of independence in me from a young age. Some people were raised completely differently.

Unfolded Post-it #4:

It’s gotta be a real hoot being a news-anchor/weather-person.

My favorite thing to do is watch the news during a snowstorm. The news people in my state love to get blown over by 1mph breezes, and slip and fall on a single snowflake. It’s hysterical. Even now, it rained for a total of 8 minutes, and they’re telling us repeatedly to “stay inside”, “lightning is FLASHING right now”, “SUPER dangerous conditions.” Anyone else find it amusing? Just me?

Unfolded Post-it #5:

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” -Anne Frank

Unfolded Post-it #6:

Blog Post Idea: The people you meet are what make your life.

Take a minute and think. Think about all of the people you’ve met. Everyone you’ve encountered. All of the people who are relevant to your life.

These people are what make your life, your life. No one else has the same interaction with these people as you do. No one else has the same relationships as you do. That’s really friggin cool.

Alright. The rain has stopped. The clouds have cleared. My mind has dumped.